Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
Volume 250, Issue 7, Pages 932-942Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.296
Keywords
Caenorhabditis elegans; daf-1; daf-3; daf-7; oocyte; sperm
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Funding
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [F30HD094446]
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences [R01GM118361]
- University of Alabama at Birmingham [HL110950, HL114439, P30 DK079337]
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The C. elegans TGFss pathway regulates various pathways to modulate PG metabolism and sperm guidance. DAF-3 likely functions in the nervous system and possibly the germline to affect sperm guidance. Results suggest that reduced PGF levels in daf-1 mutants contribute to sperm guidance defects.
Background: The transparent epidermis of Caenorhabditis elegans makes it an attractive model to study sperm motility and migration within an intact reproductive tract. C elegans synthesize specific F-series prostaglandins (PGFs) that are important for guiding sperm toward the spermatheca. These PGFs are synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) precursors, such as arachidonic acid (AA), via a novel pathway, independent of the classical cyclooxygenases (Cox) responsible for most PG synthesis. While the enzyme(s) responsible for PG synthesis has yet to be identified, the DAF-7 TGFss pathway has been implicated in modulating PG levels and sperm guidance. Results: We find that the reduced PGF levels in daf-1 type I receptor mutants are responsible for the sperm guidance defect. The lower level of PGs in daf-1 mutants is due in part to the inaccessibility of AA. Finally, lipid analysis and assessment of sperm guidance in daf-1;daf-3 double mutants suggest DAF-3 suppresses PG production and sperm accumulation at the spermatheca. Our data suggest that DAF-3 functions in the nervous system, and possibly the germline, to affect sperm guidance. Conclusion: The C elegans TGFss pathway regulates many pathways to modulate PG metabolism and sperm guidance. These pathways likely function in the nervous system and possibly the germline.
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